Economic Issues and the Struggle for Survival

Economic issues are the problems that surround money and jobs. Since the world runs on goods and services, without money or jobs, survival can be difficult. The social class we are born into can often determine our economic status and that can affect the ability to survive. If a human is struggling financially, he or she may also have trouble finding a safe home, buying food, getting an education, and/or accessing healthcare – which can affect holding down a job. Think about how lacking one of necessities for survival can create a domino effect to then being unable to access the other necessities for survival.

In this lesson, we will look at the issues surrounding economic issues and the struggle for survival while looking at the strengths and weaknesses of arguments, learning how to create research questions, and applying our understanding of lenses.

Is Money or Wealth Enough to Survive?

Let’s look first at the idea of money and wealth automatically indicating surviving and/or thriving in the world today. Before jumping into our readings, brainstorm your own thoughts and opinion here:

What does it mean to survive?
What does it mean to thrive?

QTF Rationale

While reading our first text, we will use the QTF (Question Formulation Technique – designed by the Right Question Institute) to develop your own questions about wealth being enough to survive (and thrive) in the world. There are several reasons to practice the QTF:

You drive your learning - Most students are used to the teachers asking the question, but this allows you to decide what you want to learn and focus on
You are more engaged - If you are learning about what you want to focus on, you are more engaged and interested in what is being taught
You will build your own research skills - You won’t need to wait for your teacher to provide you with a prompt or topic because you will have already thought about a variety of questions that you want to look into

The QTF process also aligns with our QUEST framework.

The QTF Process

Explore each section in the tabs below to learn more.

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5

Step 1: Focus on a Question Focus (QFocus)

Teacher provides a prompt, image, quote, or short statement
- This is not to be answered by you; it is just used to spark questions

Step 2: Produce Questions

Write down as many questions as possible exactly as they come to your brain, and change any statements that come to your brain into questions
- Do not worry if you do not think your questions are good – you will revise them later

Step 3: Improve your Questions

Look over your questions
- Label each question as:
  - Open-Ended (cannot be answered just using “yes" or “no")
  - Close-Ended (can be answered just using “yes" or “no")
- Turn some open-ended questions into closed-ended questions and turn some close-ended questions into open-ended questions
  - Think about which ones will be better for research and why

Step 4: Prioritize your Questions

Choose your top 3 most important or most interesting questions
- Think about which ones best support your topic, which ones lead to best research/debate, which ones help you explore your lens (political, ethical, scientific, etc.)

Step 5: Reflect on the QTF Process

What did you learn from making your own questions?
How did your thinking about the topic change?
What makes a question powerful or useful?

Since our first lesson focuses on the economic struggle for surviving and thriving in the world today, let’s jump into various pieces with different arguments on these struggles surrounding money and wealth. Make sure to look through the reading comprehension strategies below before you begin:

Reminders: Use the following tips for analysis:

Author Perspective: Make sure that you also think about each work below and how the author's/artist's perspective and circumstances shaped the creation of their writings.
Context and Language: Evaluate the impact of context and language on the text's reception by the audience
Context and Text Creation: Remember that when people write or speak, ideas are shaped by when, where, and why they communicate
- Think about what was happening politically or socially at the time of the writing
- Think about if you want to look at the issue through science, ethics, economics, literature, etc.
Organization: Analyze and evaluate the organizational structures and style the authors use to shape their thoughts and serve a specific purpose (persuade, inform, entertain, etc.)
Conflicting Information: Since these texts will offer differing opinions on economic issues and the struggle for survival, make sure to note where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation

Reading Assignment: “Economic and Moral Progress"

About the Author: Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbander, India. He was a leader of the nonviolent resistance movement in India to break away from British rule. He studied law in English and then practiced his method of nonviolent resistance in South Africa.

In 1915, Gandhi returned to India and became a main voice for freedom while leading peaceful protests. Gandhi believes in peace, equality, and simple living; he also wanted to unite people of different religions. Unfortunately, Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, but his ideas inspired other leaders.

Reading Assignment: Download "Economic and Moral Progress" by Mohandas Gandhi>

As you read, keep your QTF prompt and lenses in mind:

Lenses:
- Economic (think poverty or class inequality)
- Cultural and Social (think about gender, race, or religious inequality)
- Historical (think about the past)
- Scientific (think about scientific research and innovation)
- Ethical (think about moral implications, rights, and responsibilities)
- Political (think about government structures, laws, and political systems)
- Philosophical (think about human nature and existence)
- Other Lens of Choice

QTF Prompt: Consider the idea that wealth or money is enough to survive (and thrive) in this world.

“Economic and Moral Progress" Self-Assessment

To practice your understanding of Gandhi’s belief on economic and moral progress, drag and drop the belief statements below into the “True" or “False" category. “True" meaning that these are statements Gandhi spoke about, and “False" meaning that this is not a belief of Gandhi’s regarding economic and moral progress.

Practice On Your Own

Practice Icon Remember that the QTF process allows you to drive your own research, remain more engaged, and build your own research skills. After you have completed the Gandhi reading, complete the QTF process steps using the following document (note that Step 1 has been completed for you):

Download and Complete the QTF Practice Document.

Main Idea, Evidence, Reasoning Technique

For your next two readings, you will use the Main Idea, Evidence, Reasoning technique to look at the two different texts and evaluate their arguments. This process will allow you to determine what an argument is and if the argument is strong; you can then use these techniques in your own arguments.

Main Idea

What is the author’s argument or what does the author believe to be true?
- Make sure that this is clear, specific, and debatable
  - Ex: Invasive species should be eliminated due to the threat on creating unstable habitats.

Evidence

What is the proof that the author uses to support his or her main idea?
- When you write your own argument, your evidence should come from reliable articles, studies, and data (make sure to always cite sources)
  - Ex: Studies show that “when invasive species take over an area, the prior food sources are limited which leaves plants and animals without sustenance" (Baker 52).

Reasoning

How does the author connect the evidence back to supporting his or her main idea?
- There are two types of reasoning:
  - Deductive Reasoning:
    - Start with a general rule and move to a specific case to prove your point and reach a conclusion
      - Ex:
        
        General Rule: All invasive species are strictly regulated to protect the survival of natural habitats in the United States.
        
        Specific Case: Zebra mussels are an invasive species in the United States.
        
        Conclusion: The existence or arrival of zebra mussels in the United States is strictly regulated.
  - Inductive Reasoning:
    - Start with a specific case and move to a general rule to prove your point and reach a conclusion
      - Ex:
        
        Specific Case: Requiring boaters to drain and dry their boats before moving to a new body of water has helped prevent the spread of zebra mussels.
        
        Conclusion Creating strict protocols to prevent the spread of invasive species creates a safe, reliable way to protect natural habitats.

Applying MER + Lenses

The next two pieces we will read include one news article discussing why Africa is poor and one speech discussing why Africans are not poor. These two essays will clearly differ in opinions, and you will have the opportunity to practice the MER technique to determine the strengths and weaknesses in each argument.

As you read, keep the MER process and lenses in mind:

Lenses:
- Economic (think poverty or class inequality)
- Cultural and Social (think about gender, race, or religious inequality)
- Historical (think about the past)
- Scientific (think about scientific research and innovation)
- Ethical (think about moral implications, rights, and responsibilities)
- Political (think about government structures, laws, and political systems)
- Philosophical (think about human nature and existence)
- Other Lens of Choice

MER:
- Main Ideas
  - What is the author’s argument or what does the author believe to be true?
  - Make sure that this is clear, specific, and debatable
    - Ex: Invasive species should be eliminated due to the threat on creating unstable habitats.
  - Evidence
    - What is the proof that the author uses to support his or her main idea?
  - Reasoning
    - How does the author connect the evidence back to supporting his or her main idea?
      - Note the strengths and weaknesses of each argument.

Reading Assignment: “Why is the African Continent Poor?"

About the Author: “Why is the African Continent Poor?” is a news article written by Mark Doyle. He is a British journalist who has reported extensively on African issues. Doyle was one of the first reporters to stay in Rwandan throughout the Rwandan genocide, and he has covered other issues in several other countries. Even though he retired from the BBC, he remains one of the most respected voices in journalism.

Reading Assignment: Download and read Doyle’s article: "Why is the African Continent Poor?"

MER Self-Assessment for “Why is the African Continent Poor?"

Reading Assignment: “Africans Are Not Poor"

About the Author: Franziska Köstler is an author associated with the Geneva Graduate Institute, specifically her commentary on Lucy Lameck’s speech “Africans Are Not Poor”. Lucy Lameck was one of the first women to have a leadership position in the Tanzanian government, and she advocated heavily for women’s rights, education, and social welfare while working to end poverty. She is known for opening doors for women in politics throughout East Africa.

Reading Assignment: Download and read Köstler’s commentary on Lameck’s speech: “Africans Are Not Poor"

MER Self-Assessment for “Africans Are Not Poor"

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